PARAMUS, N.J.  – Hunter Mahan pulled away with three straight birdies late in the final round Sunday to win The Barclays, ending more than two years without a title on the PGA Tour.

The victory was the sixth of his career, and one of the most important.

Mahan had gone 48 tournaments worldwide without winning and began the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 62, guaranteed to play only two events. By closing with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot victory, he is assured of making the Tour Championship every year since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.

And by beating one of the strongest fields of the year, Mahan was sure to make a lasting impression on Tom Watson for when he makes his three captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup on Sept. 2.

“To get a win in an event like this and the timing, it feels unbelievable,” Mahan said. “So I’m extremely proud of myself. I felt great the last few weeks. My game was starting to come around. I knew this was around the corner, but to do it – and to do it today with a 65 – feels great.”

On a day when six players had at least a share of the lead, Mahan found a way to make it look like a comfortable win.

He rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt to take the outright lead on the par-3 15th, hit wedge to 3 feet for a birdie on the 16th and then rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the par-5 17th. That stretched his lead to three shots going to the final hole when Cameron Tringale bogeyed the 18th, and Mahan tried to inject a little drama.

Mahan drove into the trees, pitched out and then missed the green. But he holed an 8-foot putt for bogey.

Jason Day, who shared the 54-hole lead with Jim Furyk, would have needed to hole out from the rough on the 18th to force a playoff and he missed the green. Day closed with a 68 and shared second place with Stuart Appleby (65) and Tringale, who celebrated his 27th birthday with a 66.

Furyk now has failed to win the last eight times he has held at least a share of the lead going into the final round. He was in the mix until missing the fairway on the 14th and taking bogey, and he wound up with a 70 to finish in eighth place, four shots behind.

Tringale began the week with questions about disqualifying himself from the PGA Championship several days after the final major ended. He said he had doubts about whether he whiffed a tap-in for bogey and thus signed for a wrong score. He said he wanted a clear conscience.

“Didn’t expect it to be this clear,” Tringale said with a smile.

This was the best finish of his career, and as a byproduct of these FedEx Cup playoffs, it paid off nearly as well as a victory. Tringale, who was No. 61 in the standings, moved all the way up to No. 10 and is virtually certain of being in the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship. That earns him automatic entry into at least three majors, including his first trip to the Masters.

The top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second playoff event next week outside Boston. Seven players outside the top 100 at the start of the week qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship, including Morgan Hoffmann at No. 124. Hoffman, who grew up minutes away from Ridgewood, played with Mahan and shot 69 to tie for ninth.

Geoff Ogilvy earned the 100th spot, only it wasn’t in his hands. Ogilvy missed the cut, and his chances came down to Brendon Todd, who made a 15-foot par putt on the last hole to allow Ogilvy to advance by two points. If Todd had missed the putt, Troy Merritt would have been at No. 100 by about a half-point.

Mahan last won in the Shell Houston Open in 2012, a week before the Masters. But his game slipped the rest of the year. He narrowly missed qualifying for the Ryder Cup team and was passed over as a captain’s pick. Just over a year ago, Mahan had the 36-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open when he withdrew shortly before the third round upon learning his wife had gone into labor with their first child.

To his surprise, his wife and 1-year-old daughter Zoe were waiting for him when he walked off the 18th green as a winner.

Mahan finished at 14-under 270 and earned $1.44 million. He moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, assured of being among the top five players at East Lake with the best shot at capturing the $10 million bonus.

British Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy, going after his fourth straight victory, closed with a 70 and tied for 22nd.

Canada’s David Hearn end the tournament tied for 38th after shooting 71 the final day.

London, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open ended today, and kids living with heart disease had something more to celebrate than just So Yeon Ryu’s big win. Canadian Pacific (CP) announced they will be making a cash donation of $1, 100,045 to the Children’s Health Foundation to support continued world class research and treatment for children’s cardiac care at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

“We’re so happy that our CP has Heart program gift will positively impact the lives of children with heart disease in London and throughout Southwestern Ontario,” said Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “Through the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open we’re helping to ensure that the leading edge paediatric cardiology program at Children’s Hospital continues to advance children’s cardiac research and care for years to come.”

To celebrate this significant milestone, the paediatric cardiac program at Children’s Hospital will be renamed the Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care. CP’s gift will be put towards expanding the program’s capabilities through the purchase of paediatric-specific stress testing equipment, which will help with research and improve the quality of life of patients as they mature into adulthood.

“On behalf of the London Health Sciences Centre, I want to thank CP for this incredibly generous – and incredibly important – donation,” said Laurie Gould, Chief Clinical Officer, London Health Sciences Centre. “Today 90% of infants born with complex heart defects reach adulthood as compared to just 20%, sixty years ago. With CP’s help, we’re looking forward to further improving that figure through innovative research into the prevention of congenital heart disease.”

A second component of CP’s gift will be put towards establishing a cardiology research fund, called the Canadian Pacific Research Fund for Paediatric Cardiac Care. The fund will support research to advance knowledge in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of children with cardiac-related health issues.

“We are so grateful to receive this generous donation from CP through their program CP Has Heart,” said Susan Crowley, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “CP and Children’s Health Foundation clearly make excellent partners, with a mutual passion for improving the health and well-being of children and supporting their families through the delivery of exceptional care and leading edge research.”

The newly named Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care at Children’s Hospital in London is a world-class facility with cardiologists that are on-call 24/7 for patient families to call with questions or concerns. The paediatric cardiology service sees over 3,500 patients each year – patients like nine year old Rachael Wright.

Within hours of her birth, Rachael was fighting for her life. Diagnosed with pulmonary heart dysfunction and congenital heart defects, Rachael has been under the care of the cardiology team at Children’s Hospital her entire life and today enjoys being active in gymnastics and dance.

“Twenty to thirty years ago, Rachael may not have made it,” reflects Rachael’s father Chris Wright. “It’s only thanks to the research and attentive care provided at Children’s Hospital that Rachael is alive today and is a happy and healthy little girl.”

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London, Ontario is the first of three tournaments that CP will serve as the title sponsor. Every year, CP and Golf Canada will commit to a charitable component linked to the tournament as it moves to communities around the country.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to have been a part of such a big win for children’s heart health at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London this year,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Everyone has rallied around CP’s fundraising, particularly the players who embraced the Birdies for Heart challenge on the 17^th Green. The end result is a memorable experience for everyone involved.”

NANJING, China – Canada’s duo of Maddie Szeryk and Tony Gil have opened the Summer Youth Olympics team event with a 3-under 69 at the Zhongshan International Club on Sunday.

The opening round, which was better-ball format, saw Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) and Szeryk come in at even par through nine holes before turning it up on the back with three birdies.

Together, Gil and Szeryk sit eight strokes back of Korea’s leading pair, Soyoung Lee (individual gold medalist) and Eun Ho Youm.

Action will resume tomorrow in Monday’s alternate shot format. Gil and Szeryk are set to tee-off in the first group of the day at 8:30 am (CST).

Click here for scoring.

VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic – Jamie Donaldson shot 4-under 68 Sunday to win the Czech Masters and secure a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.

Tied for second with Soren Kjeldsen overnight, Donaldson took the lead when his Danish opponent made two straight bogeys on the last two holes of the front nine. The Welshman surged further ahead with two birdies on the first three of the back nine.

“This is big,” Donaldson said. “It’s been an amazing week. I’ve had a lot of birdies here all week. I’ve dropped too many shots, which stopped me from moving away a little bit, so today everything came together.”

Donaldson birdied six holes and dropped two shots for a total 14-under 274 in windy conditions at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague for his third European Tour victory after the Irish Open in 2012 and Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in 2013.

Donaldson needed a top-seven finish to guarantee a debut in next month’s match against the United States at Gleneagles.

“It’s so difficult to get into the team, the lads are playing so well,” Donaldson said. “You know that you have to play well to secure your place and it did come down to the wire.”

Bradley Dredge, who led after three rounds, was two strokes back for the first 1-2 Welsh finish on the European Tour.

Dredge started the fourth round with a two-stroke lead but managed a 72 with two birdies and two bogeys for a 12-under 276 total and his second straight second place after last week’s Made In Denmark event.

“It’s been a great two weeks in terms of two seconds,” Dredge said. “Two firsts would’ve been better. Slightly disappointed I didn’t win one, but I’ll have a few more chances before the end of the year, and see how that goes.”

Kjeldsen (71) finished tied for third with Merrick Bremner of South Africa with an overall 11-under 277.

Stephen Gallacher (73) of Scotland, another Ryder Cup hopeful, shared seventh for 7-under 281 and will need a good result from next week’s Italian Open to have a chance to qualify.

BATH, Ont. – In an impressive show of skill and composure, Kitchener, Ontario’s Chris Hemmerich is making the most of his professional debut at The Great Waterway Classic.

The 21-year, playing on a sponsor’s exemption as a recent graduate of Golf Canada’s National Amateur team, took the solo lead during Saturday’s third round at Loyalist Golf and Country Club before play was suspended due to darkness, reaching 17-under with a birdie on the 15^th hole, his last of the day, to lead by two over England’s Kelvin Day.

“I knew that if I came in playing well, I might not be sleeping on a lead, but I could definitely put myself in contention on Sunday,” said Hemmerich, stating a goal that has clearly been accomplished with one day to go. “I just hope that I can finish off those three holes strong tomorrow and be in there battling for it on the last nine holes of the tournament.”

The 21-year old former University of Guelph Gryphon began the day by concluding his second round, which had been delayed on Friday, and reaching 10-under and a tie for third through 36 holes. Through 15 holes in Round 3, Hemmerich is 7-under and without a bogey, putting him squarely in contention for Sunday’s finale.

“I just continued what I’ve been doing each of the first two days. I’ve started to putt a little bit better each day, and I’m just trying to hit fairways and greens,” Hemmerich, the 2014 Ontario Amateur Champion.

The third round will resume at 8:30 AM on Sunday, with fourth round times expected to run from 10:40 AM to 12:30 PM. Groups will once again tee off in threesomes off the 1^st and 10^th tees.

Despite being up against some stiff competition, Hemmerich said he doesn’t expect to feel too many extra nerves on Sunday, and that he’ll rely on his existing competitive experience.

“I won the Ontario Am this year, and that wasn’t sleeping on the lead, but I was close,” Hemmerich said. “I’m pretty easy-going, so I tend not to put too much pressure on myself. It’s towards the end of the season anyway, so it will be hard to get into the top five. I’m just out here enjoying myself and trying to get a little bit of experience going into next year.”

Day, who began the third round tied for the lead with California’s Micah Burke, had carded two birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the day before play was suspended to sit in solo second spot at 15-under. Argentina’s Tommy Cocha, who fired a 6-under 66 in round three, and Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic were one shot further back at 14-under when play was suspended.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Scott Dunlap leads the Boeing Classic after his second-round 9-under 63 Saturday.

Dunlap, in his first full season on the Champions Tour, birdied five of his final seven holes for a two-day 12-under 132 at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge course.

He leads by one stroke over Doug Garwood, who shot a 6-under 66 for a two-round 11-under 133.

Tommy Armour III and Mark Brooks are tied for third at 9-under 135.

Fred Funk, Woody Austin and Joe Durant are tied at 8-under 136, four behind the leader.

Six of the top seven players are seeking their first Champions Tour victory.

Dunlap has never led entering the final round in the PGA Tour, the Web.com Tour or the Champions Tour.

Asked if he can hang on to win Sunday, Dunlap said, “I know I can. It’s will I? For the past couple months, I’ve been playing better every week.”

In his 16th start on this Tour, Dunlap got his round going with an eagle 2 on the par-4 fourth hole. His 150-yard approach hit 30 yards to the left of the hole then found its way into the cup.

“We couldn’t see it from where we were,” Dunlap said. “It was a good sensible shot, but didn’t think I holed it. Good bumper-pool on that one.”

He saved par on the 10th and 11th, then started a three-hole birdie run. He finished with a 45-foot eagle putt on 18, just missing to the right for a seven-birdie bogey-free round.

Dunlap played seven seasons on the PGA Tour in three separate stints. He did not play on the PGA Tour from 2002 until he regained his card in 2012. During that time he toured the world.

“I’ve been to some places that you’d have absolutely no reason to go to if wasn’t for playing a golf tournament,” he said. “I think you mature much quicker than what you would otherwise.

“The globe-trotting is out of necessity. One, I needed to make a dollar. And, two, I don’t look back at any of that and think of disappointment. It’s been great.”

Garwood had a chance to tie Dunlap on the par-5 18th. His two-iron approach hit the pin and caromed 15 feet away. He missed his eagle putt, but earned his seventh birdie – against one bogey.

“I was telling a guy, I can hit the hole from 230 yards, but miss it from 15 feet,” Garwood said.

The closest Garwood has come to victory in his two seasons on the Champions Tour was in June when he lost in a playoff to Tom Pernice Jr. at the Principal Charity Classic.

Garwood said he gave up the game for most of the 1990s, working different jobs in the Los Angeles area. He returned to the game to qualify for the 1990 U.S. Open and has played since.

His father, Kelton Garwood, played a number of supporting roles in TV series during the 1950s and 1960s. His most prominent role was the undertaker on the TV series “Gunsmoke.”

“I take after my dad a lot,” Garwood added. “This is like my stage. When I’m out there, I’m acting like a professional golfer.”

Michael Allen began his round with a flourish, knocking in five straight birdies and briefly held the lead at 9 under. But he opened the back nine with a double bogey and faded to 7-under 137, five shots behind.

First-round leader Mike Goodes, an amateur player until he joined the Champions Tour in 2007, faded with a 3-over 75 and was tied for 16th place.

Two of the Tour’s most successful players, Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer, both struggled. Couples, the most popular player here playing in his hometown, was at 2-under 142. Langer, who had won three of the past five tournaments, was at 3-under 141.

Rod Spittle shot 69 for a share of 20th at the end of the second round.

LONDON, Ont. – Azahara Munoz dunked her ball in the water, but it didn’t sink her round.

Instead, Munoz rebounded to fire a 9-under 63 Saturday to shoot up the leaderboard and vault into contention at the US$2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. She’s tied with Na Yeon Choi in second place, four strokes behind So Yeon Ryu, who leads at 20-under par going into the final round.

“The key of my round was on (hole No.) 4, I was going for it in two with a 4-iron and I hit in the water,” Munoz said. “But I kept it calm, I knew I could still make up and down for par, so I did, and after that everything just went my way.”

Except, perhaps, for Ryu, who didn’t drift back to the pack by shooting a 67. She’s looking to become the sixth wire-to-wire winner in this tournament’s history and the first since Michelle Wie in 2010.

Munoz had six birdies on the back nine as part of a bogey-free round, tying the course record at London Hunt and Country Club that Ryu set Thursday. The 26-year-old Spainard felt like she was doing “everything” right.

“I was driving the ball really well, and I was hitting really good iron shots into the greens,” Munoz said. “I had so many chances. And then I made lots of putts, too – I made a couple really long ones and quite a few shorter ones.”

As dazzling as Munoz’s round was, she still has some work to do to catch up to Ryu, who has been remarkably consistent through three rounds with 21 birdies and just one bogey.

Ryu is looking for her first victory since 2012.

“I haven’t won any tournaments the last two years,” the 24-year-old said. “If I’m going to win this tournament, I’m going to break that. I really want to break it, I really want to stop it.”

Ryu is on pace to snap the tournament record of 18 under set by Suzann Petterson in 2009 and is within range of the LPGA Tour record of 27 under, which belongs to the legendary Annika Sorenstam.

“I think my lowest record is 29 under when I was 16 at the Asian Games,” Ryu said. “If I have the chance I want to break my career record, and also if I can I want to break another LPGA record.”

Determined to focus on her own game, the South Korean said she didn’t peek at the leaderboard Saturday. But Ryu already set a goal of sinking seven birdies in the final round.

Ryu, Munoz and Choi, who shot a 6-under 66, tee off as the final group at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. Behind them on the leaderboard are LPGA Championship winner Inbee Park at 14 under, Swede Anna Nordqvist at 13 under and Americans Brittany Lincicome and Danielle Kang at 12 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-under 71 to get to 4 under as the lowest Canadian left. Fellow amateur Jennifer Ha of Calgary moved to 2 under with a 73, while Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 76 to drop to 1 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., shot a 74 to drop to 1 over.

Choi set the tone for the low-scoring weekend with an 8-under 64 Thursday morning. After seeing that, Park wondered if it would take 20 under to win the tournament.

Given the way Ryu has been driving, chipping and putting, that turned out to be a conservative estimate.

“It’s going to be over 20, that’s for sure,” Park said. “I don’t know how So Yeon is going to play tomorrow, but if she goes really low tomorrow, 25-under par’s definitely possible.”

Despite being four strokes back of a player she conceded was even more “on fire” than her, Choi was plenty confident about her chances given the course conditions.

“Someone can shoot 9 under, 8 under,” she said. “Even I could shoot like 8, 9 under tomorrow.”

Munoz showed that was possible Saturday, even with more difficult pin placements for the 87 players who made the cut. Her only real glance at the leaderboard was Thursday when she saw Choi’s 64 before she even teed off, but that didn’t make her task feel any more daunting.

“It’s actually good because you have that number in mind, you know it’s possible,” Munoz said. “So at least you go out there thinking you can make lots of birdies.”

Birdies are available all over the course, and players are mindful that each one on the 17th hole means a $5,000 donation from title sponsor Canadian Pacific for the London-based Children’s Health Foundation.

But Ryu hasn’t been saving her best for the second-to-last hole, and Park knows that her friend is so locked in that rivals will have to shoot very low to beat her.

Ryu hasn’t won since the 2012 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic but won two of the three previous times she held the 54-hole lead.

“I definitely think she’s due,” Park said. “I think she was due a long time ago, but she probably threw her opportunities away. If I can’t do it this time, hopefully she does it. I’m really rooting for her.”

LONDON, Ont. – The role models Canadian golfers need are all around them at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

For 20-year-old Jennifer Ha of Calgary, one of them is 16-year-old star Brooke Henderson. Ha and Henderson are roommates this week and were the only two amateurs to make the cut.

After three rounds, Ha is still chasing Henderson to be the low Canadian and the low amateur after shooting a 1-over 72 Saturday to drop to 2 under for the tournament. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 71 to get to 4 under.

“Brooke’s unreal and she’s No. 2 in the world (among amateurs), so it’d be great if I got a chance to catch up her,” Ha said.

Henderson got to play with one of her role models in 19-year-old Lexi Thompson, who was a teenage golfing phenom at the age of 12. Unprompted, Henderson glowed about playing with Thompson.

“It was a lot of fun being able to play with Lexi today,” Henderson said. “Lexi I’ve always looked up to. She’s definitely a big person in the women’s game and someone that you can look up to and I definitely have.”

Henderson, who again attracted the biggest fan support at London Hunt and Country Club as the most prominent Canadian name in the field, called Thompson one of her idols.

“Just being able to watch her and learn a little bit from her, it was fun,” Henderson said. “I talked to her a little bit today. I asked her a few questions and got a few things answered that I wanted to know.”

Henderson also noticed Lorie Kane following her for the final five holes of her round. The 49-year-old Kane has offered plenty of advice to Henderson during her blossoming stardom.

“She is a huge role model for me,” Henderson said of Kane. “A lot of the women out here are like that. They are really nice and they support young people.”

Four Canadians made the cut, though Henderson was the only one to shoot under par Saturday. Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) shot a 76 to drop to 1 under for the tournament, and Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.) shot a 74 to move to 1 over.

Ha would have been even par had it not been for a bogey on the 18th hole. But she was happy to be able to get her game together after being 3 over through six.

The Kent State University student returns to school in Ohio next week but is spending this weekend honouring football player Jason Bitsko, who was found dead in his off-campus apartment Wednesday. Ha has 54 – Bitsko’s number – written on each of her golf balls.

Coming into the tournament, Ha’s goal was simply to make the cut. Now that she has, she can set her sights on competing with Henderson and remembering Bitsko, the Golden Flashes’ starting centre who the school said died of an undetermined medical issue at the age of 21.

“I think my main goal right now is just to have the time of my life, Ha said. ”It would be unreal to finish as the low amateur, but I’m out here to have fun for this week and to honour Jason.“

Henderson also pegged making the cut as a pre-tournament expectation and now wants to “climb the leaderboard.”

“Today, 1 under, I didn’t back up, but I don’t think I moved forward too much,” Henderson said. “So tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

PARAMUS, N.J. — Jim Furyk was steady. Jason Day was wild. Both wound up with a share of the lead Saturday at The Barclays.

Day lost his golf ball in a mound of high grass and took double bogey on the par-5 13th, the third-easiest hole at Ridgewood. He also took four shots to get down from a bunker on the par-5 17th for a bogey. But the Australian made enough birdies for a 3-under 68.

Furyk played bogey-free for a 69 and joined Day in the lead at 9-under 204.

The final round of his opening FedEx Cup playoff event was shaping up as a shootout, with 15 players separated by three shots.

Hunter Mahan was tied for the lead until his approach went right of the green on the 18th and he took bogey for a 68. He was one shot behind. Matt Kuchar, who won The Barclays the last time it was at Ridgewood in 2010, was among seven players two shots behind.

The group at 6-under 207 included Ernie Els and Erik Compton.

Missing from the mix – but not entirely out of the picture – was Rory McIlroy. The British Open and PGA champion made an early move until he was slowed by a pair of bogeys around the turn. He had a 70 and was five shots behind in his bid for a fourth straight victory.

Adam Scott failed to keep pace. Tied for the lead going in a cloudy Saturday, the defending Barclays champion made only one birdie in a round of 75 and left him five shots out of the lead.

At least he’s still playing. Phil Mickelson missed the 54-hole cut, which is in effect when more than 78 players make the 36-hole cut. For the second straight day, Mickelson hit his tee shot onto the terrace of a grandstand left of the fifth green. This time, he saved par.

That was the lone highlight, however. Mickelson shot a 75 and headed home. It was unclear if he would play the Deutsche Bank Championship next week, which might end his season if he doesn’t stay among the top 70 eligible for the BMW Championship.

Just about everyone else at Ridgewood is still in the running, or so it seems.

“It’s going to be interesting tomorrow,” Day said, who is trying to make the most out of what seems like a lost year because of a thumb injury.

Day injured his thumb while winning the Match Play Championship in February, costing him tournaments and momentum. But a big run now that he’s healthy could help him salvage his season.

The focus figures to be on Furyk, who has gone nearly four years without a victory. Since winning the Tour Championship at the end of 2010, Furyk has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead seven times and has failed to convert.

His last chance was a month ago in the Canadian Open, where Tim Clark beat him by a shot. He also missed out on two majors, the PGA Championship last year at Oak Hill and the U.S. Open in 2012 at Olympic Club.

Furyk said only a few guys had a realistic chance in Canada. This is different.

“Going to be a little bit of a shootout tomorrow,” he said. “Excited about one more opportunity.”

Mahan has gone more than two years without winning. Not only is he trying to extend his streak of reaching the Tour Championship every year, Mahan still is auditioning for Tom Watson as a potential captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup. He took the outright lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th hole, but he lost a good birdie chance with a poor wedge into the 17th, and then flared his approach to the right on the 18th.

Even so, he’s right there with a chance to win and make a big statement.

And so is everyone else. Even as Scott went sliding backward, Cameron Tringale held his own. It was the first time Tringale had a share of the lead going into the weekend, and he bounced back from an early bogey to stay in the hunt.

Morgan Hoffman, at No. 124 the second-to-last man into the playoffs, had the best round Saturday with a bogey-free 66 and was in the group at 7-under 206. Kevin Chappell had a two-shot lead with he drove the green at No. 5 and converted a long two-putt for birdie. He didn’t make another birdie and dropped three shots for a 71 and was among those two shots behind.

The players at 5-under 208 – four shots back – included Rickie Fowler (67), Ryo Ishikawa (68) and Paul Casey, who had a 71 as he tries to extend his season.

Canada’s David Hearn is tied for 30th after carding 69 in the third round.